INEXCHANGE
Written And Directed by Zack Parker
Featuring Sean Blodgett, Tiffany Wilson, Todd Richard Lewis,
Adam Lash, Samantha Eileen Deturk, and Bradley J. Gunter
2005/90 min.
Along The Tracks/Brain Damage Films

If you've ever found yourself on the receiving end of bullying, I'm sure you can recall entertaining thoughts of revenge. Thoughts, perhaps gruesome and horribly violent in nature, of your tormentors getting exactly what they deserve. We rational, mature individuals generally do not go any further than such fantasies, usually shrugging it off or maybe even punching a wall from time to time. And those who decide to take matters into their own hands, well...they occasionally make the front page of the local newspaper. One thing is certain, though. Many of us know how it feels to be alienated, pushed around, and ignored. It's upsetting, depressing, and it gets you pretty goddamn angry.
Zack Parker's "Inexchange", a tale of psychological torment, repressed anger, and vengeance, centers on Maury (Sean Blodgett), a college freshman who is shy, withdrawn and sullen, thanks for the most part to his asshole jock roommate Jay (Todd Richard Lewis), who seems to do nothing but take advantage of him and push him around. Jay and his friends treat Maury like shit, and their girlfriends stand there and laugh as well. Despite attempts to disappear into his schoolwork, Maury begins hearing a strange voice calling out to him when he's alone. Then, after a night of extreme humiliation at a party by Jay and company, Maury is visited by a mysterious blindfolded figure (doing a really good imitation of Tony Todd from "Candyman") who offers a horrific solution to Maury's problems. In exchange for what, we don't know.

What we do know is that one by one, the people who hurt Maury start getting violently bumped off by our masked man. However, things get compromised when Jay's friend Laura (Tiffany Wilson) takes pity on Maury and befriends him. She apologizes for having been "a bitch" to him, and Maury slowly begins to come out of his shell and see what it's like to date a girl. But as Maury's feelings for Laura grow stronger, the body count grows higher, and soon it's time for him to face up to the decision he has made and pay the hefty price.
"Inexchange" is worlds apart from most of the low-budget, shot-on-video indie flicks that come my way. Although it's got enough blood and nudity to satisfy the requisites for a horror genre release, plot and character development do not take a back seat to those elements. Director Parker (who can also take credit for the extremely professional, creative editing job) and camera man Brandon Owens put the viewer in Maury's shoes, maintaining a moody, awkward, and fittingly tense atmosphere throughout the film (long shots inside Maury and Jay's sterile, pasty-walled dorm room make us feel like we're trapped in there with them), and bring the excellent performances from the leads to an even more effective pitch.

I found "Inexchange" to be a welcome break from the zombies, lesbian vampires, and ax murderers that overpopulate the current low-budget horror landscape. Thanks, guys!

(February 2005)